Raw sewage on clubhouse level creates postgame chaos

In what equipment manager Steve Vucinich, a 46-year employee of the A’s, described as a first, the A’s and Mariners had to shower together in the Raiders’ second-floor locker room after today’s 10-2 Oakland win. Players from both teams trudged up and down one stairway in towels and shower shoes as both teams tried to get their flights out of town.

“Kind of a weird thing,” Oakland catcher John Jaso said. “The ups and downs of the Coliseum. Did you hear how loud it got in the stadium when Josh Reddick hit his triple? It was booming. Then you come in here and you’ve got to find another place to shower.”

Raw sewage backed up into both clubhouse shower areas, the umpires’ room and all bathrooms on the clubhouse level, as well as both managers’ offices and the Mariners’ training room. The umpires left without showering, as did much of the Mariners’ coaching staff and manager Eric Wedge.

“There is a blockage somewhere on the clubhouse level,” A’s vice president of stadium operations David Rinetti said. According to Rinetti, the team deals with this issue on a regular basis because of the age of the building, “but never to this extent.”

No other part of the building was affected on Sunday; the A’s drew 36,067, a sellout, which might have put additional strain on the aging plumbing, but leaking pipes and backed up drains are common even on days off because the facility was built in 1966. In addition, the field is 22 feet below sea level and the clubhouse level is 3 feet below sea level.

Asked about his team’s need for a new stadium, team president Michael Crowley said, “It’s clear, right? This isn’t the first time this has happened.”

The Angels filed a complaint about unsanitary conditions several years ago over the same problem, voicing concerns about E. coli in the training room.

The Coliseum is owned jointly by the city of Oakland and Alameda County, and it is run by the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority. The A’s have a lease, which expires after this season.

“We will deal with the facility to evaluate it,” Rinetti said. “We will replace all carpeting in affected areas to make sure it’s safe for players and staff of all teams and for our own employees to work down there. That is a very high priority.”

Reliever Sean Doolittle just tweeted: “After I checked out the new swimming pool in our locker room I got to see the Raiders clubhouse! Pretty cool! #CommitmentToExcellence.”